A Moment along the Roadside

Today brought more travels, this time to central Nebraska for the Nebraska Funeral Directors Convention in Kearney.  Granted, Kearney doesn’t have the same salty coastal allure as Myrtle Beach nor can it compete with the Big Apple in terms of an iconic skyline or vast cultural diversity, but Kearney does have one helluva cool archway over I-80! The Great Platte River Road Archway is the crowing jewel of a visit to Kearney and it takes approximately 0.42 seconds to drive under it at 83 mph (that’s the coolest thing about Nebraska – 75 mph speed limit!)  All sardonic comments aside, the Archway is quite a sight to behold as it spans 310 feet over the interstate and does create a sense of passing through to America’s western territory, which is its intended purpose.

Great Platte River Road Archway - Gateway to the West!

I always get a feeling of reminiscent sadness when I make this trip across Nebraska. I don’t know if anyone else experiences this but the sadness causes a physical tingling in my left arm, every time.  I’m not sure why it happens, but that’s how I know it’s real. I get sad when I make this trip because I pass one of the most innocuous yet cherished places in my life: a roadside rest stop.  It was at this mundane little wide spot in I-80 that an unexpectedly beautiful moment occurred with Jenna and Jace. 

Here's the rest stop as I passed it today. Doesn't seem that long ago...

It was July 2008 and we were on our way to Colorado for a family vacation. I’m guessing it was 20-30 minutes after a lunch stop that Tara needed to use the restroom (maybe not, but you could see that happening, right?) so I pulled into this rest stop in the middle of Nebraska.  My memory of how the event started is fuzzy, but, as I recall, Jenna, Jacer, and I eventually started running around to burn off some steam; frolic, if you will.  I vividly remember the coolness of the long, green grass on my bare feet.  It hadn’t been mowed recently but it was impeccably clean, thick, healthy grass with no weeds or dandelions and it felt wonderful. 

Funny the things that happen when you least expect it...

I remember the look of unadulterated joy on Jace’s face as we all stood hand-in-hand, ready to play whatever game he had no doubt just made up. I remember a feeling of absolute contentment and peace, not worrying about when we would get to our destination or wondering how bad the traffic was getting. Most of all I remember forgetting, for just a few minutes, that Jace had that terrible thing growing in his head; a thing that would take him from us just a few weeks later. Tara captured this unexpected, unplanned moment perfectly and I’m so thankful she did.

Our entire stay there was no more than 15 minutes and we piled back in the car to continue on our westward adventure, totally oblivious of how special the moment was we had just experienced. As I drove past that rest stop today and remembered our time there, it reminded me of when you buy an expensive Christmas gift for a child and they end up playing with the box. Here we were, on a week-long excursion to the majestic Rocky Mountains, and the best part turned out to be a rest stop on I-80.

Peace…

Travis